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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849698">The Firelord’s Lover</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneralKenobi212/pseuds/GeneralKenobi212'>GeneralKenobi212</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sukka Supremacy [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boss/Employee Relationship, Dad Sokka, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Married Couple, Pai Sho, Sokka loves his wife so much he orchestrates a coup, mom suki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:13:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,477</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneralKenobi212/pseuds/GeneralKenobi212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka and Suki are happily married with an infant daughter, living and working alongside Zuko in the Fire Nation Royal Palace. </p><p>But all it takes is a single Pai Sho game for Suki to take up a steamy affair with the Firelord, if only for a day...</p><p>(What’s that? The tags and description seem to contradict each other? *laughs maniacally*)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Background Katara/Zuko - Relationship, Sokka &amp; Suki (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sukka Supremacy [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110200</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Firelord’s Lover</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>If you’ve read The Councilman’s Mistress, you know I love Sukka, wholesome fluff, and dramatic irony—so expect some more of that. Reading the first part of the series isn’t necessary, but I’d recommend it if you want to appreciate some of the references—also, they both exist in the same not-so-canon-compliant universe.</p><p>And if you’re a Zuki shipper drawn in by the description...well...I’ll tell you this: Suki does in fact sleep with the Firelord, but this is a clear-cut Sukka fic. Confusing, I know—try not to think about it too hard.</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“As my husband once so eloquently put it, the eyes are the balls of the face.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki’s entire class erupted in laughter, and she couldn’t help but chuckle along with them—even when he was trying to be being serious, Sokka could still be hilarious.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Just remember,” she said, wrapping up her basic self-defense class for the day, “Use your opponent’s strength against them and target their weak points. Alright? Well...I think that’s all the time we have this morning—enjoy the rest of your day, girls!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The majority of Suki’s three-dozen-or-so students replied with some form of thanks and farewell as they gathered their things and began slowly filing out the door in variously-sized cliques, waving to their instructor on the way out.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After taking a few minutes to tidy up around the empty dojo, Suki snatched her satchel from the corner of the room, deciding to wait to change out of her training trousers and back into her dress—she didn’t want to be late for her daily lunch date, which usually provided a more strenuous workout than teaching the class.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">The councilman does prize punctuality...and these sweaty clothes will be coming off once I get there, anyway...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A giddy smile worked its way across her lips, already imaging how happy Sokka would be to have cake for lunch—but upon noticing the figure standing just inside the dojo entrance, that smile vanished.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Can I help you?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you Suki?” asked the short, black-haired young woman, one she didn’t recognize from class. “From Kobayashi Island?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Uh...yes,” nodded the mother of three, tapping into her nearly-endless reserves of maternal patience, “But I’m afraid I have somewhere to be. Is this urgent? You just missed this morning’s session, but I can sign you up for the afternoon class now if you’d like.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh, I’m not here for the punchy-punch stuff!” the girl replied with a toothy grin, “My name’s Meng, and I work for the Republic Inquirer! Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Great, a muckraker. And one who works for that tabloid, no less...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well I’m in a bit of a hurry, actually,” Suki said, trying to be as polite as possible while still remaining firm.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh, that’s fine!” Meng shrugged, her expression excessively pleasant, “I can always come back later...how about tomorrow at the same time?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The ex-Kyoshi captain narrowed her eyes critically, failing to conceal her indignation. This journalist evidently wasn’t going to be brushed off so easily.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Better to just get this over with now, I guess...Sokka has that big meeting with Cabbage Corp tomorrow morning, and he’ll definitely need my help to blow off some steam afterwards...I’ll just have to be a little late today...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright. I’ll give you five minutes,” she grumbled, gesturing to a pair of chairs against the wall at the far end of the dojo, just below a huge hand-drawn poster of Suki wearing her full Kyoshi Warrior getup...and Firebending at the same time.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Great!” Meng said, practically skipping over to take a seat next to her interviewee.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki leaned back, crossing her arms and legs and trying to appear as unreadable as possible—she wasn’t going to divulge anything from her body language if she could avoid it. Both Zuko and Aang had been victims of groundless libel in the past, and Suki wasn’t keen for the pseudo-press to invent some scandal about her and Sokka, too.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So...” began the second-rate journalist, flipping to a blank page in her notepad, “You used to be the leader of the Kobayashi Warriors?”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Yes...the </span> <em> <span class="s2">Kyoshi</span> </em> <span class="s1"> Warriors.”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And you served in Firelord Zuko’s bodyguard detail, right?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I did.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How long did you do that for?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“A few years, on-and-off,” Suki sighed—although it was tempting to give short, shallow answers, she quickly realized that the less she talked, the more questions Meng would have time to ask. “The Kyoshi Warriors and I stayed in the Fire Nation as Zuko’s personal guards to protect him from his father’s loyalists. But after he got through those first couple of years, his rule become more stable, and it transitioned to more of an advisory role.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh, I understand,” Meng answered with a nod, “So were you close with Firelord Zuko, then?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Very close, although it took a while to warm up to him—we did spend a great deal of time in each other’s company. Our families still take holidays together on Ember Island every year.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How nice,” the journalist said, a devilish smile crawling across her face.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki’s countenance twisted uncomfortably, and she immediately regretted being so careless with her words. The next question was not unexpected, but still maddeningly direct.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The Firelord is quite handsome, isn’t he?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Surely you don’t need my opinion to answer that,” Suki huffed, her demeanor now openly cold.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“But you know him much better than most people,” Meng chirped with feigned innocence, “No doubt you had some...</span> <em> <span class="s2">steamy</span> </em> <span class="s1"> sparring sessions?”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If you’re insinuating that my relationship with Zuko has ever been anything more than platonic, then I‘ll have to disappoint you,” scoffed Suki, about ready to slap the little wench right out of her dojo, “Good luck digging up any real dirt on him. Or me.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh come on,” Meng pled, sounding almost desperate, “You’re telling me all those years living in the Royal Palace, and you never once had a tryst with that buff Fire Nation hunk? Did he ever ask you to ‘guard’ him while he was bathing? Or help him, you know, ‘relax’ after a long meeting? Anything saucy like that?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki’s mouth hung open, stunned by the girl’s brazen audacity.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Is this seriously what people think a bodyguard does for their employer?! Sure, I had to REMIND Zuko to bathe sometimes, but I never WATCHED him!</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“No!” she snapped, face flushing red with barely-suppressed fury, “Not once did such things even cross my mind! </span> <span class="s1">In fact, I married my best friend and had a daughter during those years! Didn’t leave much time for affairs with the Firelord—who, I might remind you, is married to my husband’s sister!”</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Now </span> <span class="s2">that</span> <span class="s1"> would make things interesting! Are you sure your children are your husband’s, or could they have been conceived—“</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“GET OUT OF MY DOJO!” Suki barked, leaping to her feet, “NOW!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Geez, lady!” Meng yelped, quickly withdrawing to the door, “If you never slept with the Firelord, all you had to do was say so! Guess I’ll go track down that bendy acrobat girl next...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Still fuming, Suki plopped back into her chair—but Meng’s final words still rang in her head, taking her back almost half her lifetime...</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">‘If you never slept with the Firelord, all you had to do was say so!’</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">But...I did sleep with the Firelord, didn’t I?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">And not just in his bed...we made love on his throne...in his private theatre box...sweet Mother of Kyoshi, I forgot about all the filthy things that boy made me do...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki’s face reddened again, but not from anger—rather, she found herself reliving the surreal day she had spent as the Firelord’s lover nearly fourteen years ago...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Gotta say Zuko, I know you’re a nice guy and everything nowadays, but Suki and I really owe you one for building that nursery here in the palace.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Flurglurg,” gurgled Kanna, sitting on the edge of the Pai Sho table situated between her father and the Firelord. Spotting a tile within her (very small) reach, she grasped for it with a pudgy baby fist, nearly succeeding before Sokka plucked her off the table and balanced her on his thigh.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t worry about it,” Zuko shrugged, his eyes lazily scanning the game board. “It made sense—I can’t have the head of my guard carrying around an infant all the time. And besides, I’m sure it’ll get more use eventually.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“More use?” Sokka frowned, handing his auburn-haired daughter an unused tile to slobber on, “What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As he took his turn making a move, Zuko fidgeted and shifted awkwardly in his seat, mentally delving into the implications of his offhand comment.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, you know...someday, I’ll—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’ve been thinking about making babies with my sister, haven’t you?” spat Sokka, putting down a tile of his own. Kanna, accusing Zuko in her own way, blew raspberries at the young monarch.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No! That’s not at all what I was thinking about! I swear! It’s just...Katara and I have been together for a while, and hopefully—“</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“So you </span> <em> <span class="s2">were</span> </em> <span class="s1"> thinking about it!” Sokka gasped as if scandalized by the mere concept of procreation (an act he had obviously participated in himself), “My own sister! How could you?!”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sokka sprang to his feet, pointing an accusatory finger at his best buddy as he clutched his daughter to his side. “Oh, new nickname! New nickname! <em>Perv-Bender!</em>”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I didn’t mean it that way! All I was trying to say was that </span> <em> <span class="s2">someday</span> </em> <span class="s1"> in the very </span><span class="s2">distant</span> <span class="s1"> future, when she and I are—”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Just take your turn so I don’t have to think about your oogies anymore!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But Zuko, blushing so hard that his whole face nearly matched his scar, was the one thinking about ‘oogies’ now. He no longer had his attention on the Pai Sho board—instead, he was imagining an ocean of silky mocha skin, wrinkled satin bedsheets, and the warmth of woman’s—</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“DING DING DING! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A WINNER!” Sokka roared in triumph, placing the (slobbery) final tile a millisecond after Zuko had released his own—fortunately, Kanna was accustomed to her father’s erratic outbursts and wasn’t upset in the slightest. She did, however, squirm and pout to protest the confiscation of her toy. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Firelord blinked hard, snapping out of his trance. Across from him, the Southern Water Tribe’s ambassador jumped up and down and swung his giggling baby girl around in a circle, shouting and celebrating with all the conceited delight of a jackal-snake in a chicken-rabbit pen. “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAWWW! YOU LOSE, PERV-BENDER!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Right,” Zuko snorted mockingly, “You haven’t beaten me a single time. And we’ve been playing every day at breakfast for months.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But as his eyes darted around the board, growing increasingly frantic, his amusement turned to concern—then disbelief, then panic, then absolute horror. Sokka, having completed the winning harmony, had truly beaten him in Pai Sho.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No...no...how...how?!” Zuko wailed, gripping fistfuls of black hair as Sokka reached across the table and raked the pile of silver coins over to his side, careful to keep the shiny objects away from Kanna’s groping hands.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Over the last several weeks, the stakes of their games had gotten higher and higher and higher—and Zuko, who had considerable experience from playing with Iroh as well as an unfaltering winning streak, had always been happy to raise them.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But today, he had done something incredibly stupid.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When Sokka had pulled out that beautiful moonstone-and-sapphire bracelet bearing the symbol of the Water Nation—apparently a relic from the bygone glory days of the Southern Water Tribe—Zuko knew he had to have it. Not for himself, naturally, but as a potential wedding gift for a certain young woman (who he most definitely had been thinking about making babies with).</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">And to match this bet? Sokka had asked for something ridiculous, absurd, preposterous—but Zuko thought nothing of it. He had beaten the Tribesman </span> <span class="s2">hundreds</span> <span class="s1"> of times, and he was desperate to win that bracelet for Katara.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The odds of Sokka winning were astronomically small.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Nothing short of impossible, really...</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">...or so Zuko had thought.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Still struggling to accept defeat, the dethroned monarch just wanted to melt into a puddle and be soaked up by the plush carpeting of his study.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I don’t understand...” Zuko whimpered, “I’ve crushed you every time...every...single...time. Why...why did it have to be this game?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You see, my fiery friend,” Sokka grinned, “Back in the day, Toph and I used to make a killing off scamming people on the streets. The key to our success? Patience. The long game. And Toph’s Earthbending, I guess...but mostly patience.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But you...you didn’t even know how to play when we started...Uncle and I have been playing for years!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, when I went back to finish my training with Master Piandao, he helped me work on a few things besides swordsmanship. You should see the family portrait I just finished of the two of us and Suki!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A low, guttural noise of intense agony escaped the Firelord right before he face-planted into the table, drawing peals of bubbly laughter from the room’s smallest occupant.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Please, Sokka...please...” he mumbled into the fine hardwood surface, “I’ll give you fifty gold pieces...a hundred...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry, buddy. A deal’s a deal.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With all the energy of a sloth-snail, Zuko pulled himself up out of his chair, crossed his study to his desk, and began scrawling on a piece of parchment—wincing at every word he wrote.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I believe that requires an official seal,” called the Pai Sho shark before watching the once-and-future monarch of the Fire Nation begrudgingly slam a wax-coated stamp onto the document.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Here,” Zuko sighed, already contemplating the best place to go hide for the rest of day.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thank you,” Sokka replied briskly, beaming victoriously as he began to read aloud. “I, Firelord Zuko, son of Ozai and Ursa and sovereign ruler of the Fire Nation, hereby declare that Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe bear the title and full authority of Firelord until sunrise tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Just...try not to ruin my life...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey, don’t worry about it! I’ve had a plan for this day ever since we started playing Pai Sho!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I really, really hate you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Think about it—I’m doing you a favor!” Sokka declared earnestly, clapping the not-Firelord on the shoulder, “Think of this as your day off, Citizen Zuko! You can be anyone you want for the next twenty-two hours! Except Firelord, that is.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As Zuko grappled with the temptation to make Suki a single mother, the door to the study suddenly opened and the painted face of a Kyoshi Warrior popped into view.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hi guys! Oh, and good morning Kanna!” Ty Lee greeted them with her usual cheerfulness before stepping in and addressing Zuko, “There’s a few petitioners you’re scheduled to speak with this morning—they’re waiting for an audience in the throne room right now...you know...in case you forgot.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, I didn’t forg—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Excellent!” bellowed Sokka, thrusting Kanna into the air like a trophy while Zuko slumped into his desk chair. “The Firelord will appear presently to address the concerns of his needy subjects!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh...uh...alright...” Ty Lee answered, wondering why Zuko was so upset—and why Sokka felt the need to act as his herald. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————————————————————</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki had always prided herself on her intense vigilance—constantly aware of her surroundings and ready to handle any threat.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But these days, when her adorable baby girl was with her father or crawling around a nursery on the other side of the palace, she found it hard to maintain presence of mind.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">If I had just asked Jidi to swap shifts...I could’ve fed Kanna and eaten breakfast with Sokka and Zuko during their Pai Sho game...then maybe I wouldn’t be so distracted...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Instead of focusing on the Firelord holding court across the throne room, Suki found herself listening to the rumbling in her stomach and daydreaming about Kanna’s chubby cheeks and beautiful blue eyes.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">She’s been so vocal lately...I can’t wait for her first words...they’d better be ‘Mama’ or ‘Dadda’ and not ‘Boomerang’ or ‘Meat’...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I think there’s something wrong with Zuko,” Ty Lee suddenly whispered to her, quashing Suki’s reverie. “His voice is...off...and have you heard how he’s received these petitioners?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What’s he been telling them?” Suki asked quietly, not wanting to explicitly admit that her mind had been elsewhere for the past hour.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He keeps making jokes...pretty funny jokes, actually, but it’s still really weird...he just told a cabbage vendor to stop selling vegetables and go into the jerky business.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Jerky?!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">From the back of the throne room, it wasn’t easy to hear the Firelord’s conversation with his subjects, especially over the roaring partition of flames between him and everyone else.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That’s all for today,” announced the man on the Dragon Throne, implicitly bidding Suki and Ty Lee to close the massive doors at the back of the chamber as the sobbing cabbage vendor trudged out.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“His voice does sound...odd,” the captain mumbled to Ty Lee as the two warriors, dressed in full makeup and armor, approached the monarch, “Maybe he’s got a sore throat? Or burned his mouth on some tea?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I don’t know...and his aura has really changed, too...it’s almost like he’s a totally different—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I will speak to the head of my guard alone.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There was no denying that something was strange about Zuko’s voice—it didn’t sound like a normal voice at all, really—more like someone trying to disguise their voice by bringing it down an octave.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ty Lee gave Suki a nervous look and retreated to the side door, leaving her alone in front of the Firelord.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">When the Kyoshi Warriors had first arrived at the palace, Suki learned that this chamber was architected</span> <span class="s1"> to control the lighting around the throne. When the wall of flames were lit, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the Firelord’s face—all for the intimidating aesthetic...</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">...an aesthetic which Zuko was actively trying to expunge from the palace, confusing Suki as to why he chose to employ it today.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Maybe his acne flared up overnight?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Oh, right...Zuko doesn’t really worry about skincare...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Despite being one of his best friends and most trusted advisors, Suki found it unsettlingly ominous how the flames cast shadows across his face, shrouding his features in ever-shifting darkness—try as she might, Suki couldn’t even make out his scar.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Is there something wrong, Zuko? Can I bring you some of those soothing—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Silence!” boomed the Firelord, his voice cracking pathetically in the second syllable.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki arched a critical eyebrow, now certain that something was amiss.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Did Sokka make you do cactus juice shots again? You know how badly that turned out last time.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“As far as you are concerned, Lady Suki, the man known as ‘Sokka’ does not exist.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Now, both of Suki’s were eyebrows raised.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Are they having some sort of disagreement? A feud, even? Spirits, these boys can be so childish sometimes...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You will be pleased to hear that I have decided to enact...” He paused for dramatic effect. “...prima nocta.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It took a moment for his words to register, but when they did, they hit hard.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Prima nocta?” Suki gasped, clutching her middle as she broke out in uncontrollable giggles, “You, Zuko? Prima nocta? You won’t...you won’t even hold hands with your own girlfriend in public!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As her laughter continued, the smirking Firelord reached to the secret panel beside the throne—pressing a big red button, the flames flashed, reigning in Suki’s attention.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry, it’s just...you don’t make jokes that often,” she wheezed, regaining her composure, “Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You will also be pleased to hear,” continued the Firelord as if she’d never spoken, “That the first—and only—beneficiary of my new law....will be you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Is that so?” Suki chortled sarcastically, convinced he was on cactus juice, “Well I’m afraid you’re about two years too late for a </span> <span class="s2">prima</span> <span class="s1"> nocta. Think you could settle for...oh, a </span> <span class="s2">hundredth</span> <span class="s1"> nocta instead?”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Although she couldn’t see it, the Firelord simpered again, pleased that his natural gift for humor had rubbed off on the lovely Kyoshi Warrior.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">More like the thousandth nocta...but still pretty funny, Suki...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ascend the steps and...and disrobe immediately,” ordered the monarch, secretly trying to smother his own amusement.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But this time, Suki was not so tickled.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Mirth instantly replaced by outrage, she put her hands on her hips as the flames between her and the throne began to fade, dimmed by a dial on the hidden control panel.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Now he’s taken it too far...Zuko would never ask that, even in a drunken stupor...it’s almost like he’s a completely different per...hold on...the voice...the petitioners...now this...how did I miss it?!</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">This guy IS a different person! He’s an imposter!</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“As you wish, my lord,” the captain replied, her tone sickly sweet—but as soon as the fire died, she crouched low and sprang up to the throne, fans unfurled and ready to deal a knockout blow to the usurper.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Suki!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That voice, that exclamation...she’d recognize it anywhere—but instead of the usual excitement in her husband’s voice when he said her name, it was alarm.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Finally able to see the face behind the flames, Suki stopped dead in her tracks, her weapons inches away from the neck of the terrified Firelord.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sokka?!” she gaped, her fans dropping to her side, “What in the Foggy Swamp are you doing up here?!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You...you should’ve seen the look on your face,” he guffawed, throwing his head back as he convulsed in fits of laughter, “I told you to...to get naked...and you—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Shut up!” she growled, stalking right up to the throne and pinning her husband with an angry glare, accentuated by her painted face. “Where is the Firelord, and what are you doing on his throne? I’m Zuko’s bodyguard! I can’t let you goof around like this!”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“The Firelord is right here!” he returned, gesturing to himself, “And this is </span> <span class="s2">my</span> <span class="s1"> throne!”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Seriously, Sokka...” Suki sighed, her annoyance giving way to exasperation, “Why are you wearing Zuko’s robes? And how did you get his crown?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“These aren’t his robes or his crown—not today at least,” Sokka said with a proud smile, producing a half-rolled scroll.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki jerked it out of his hands and quickly began to scan the message, wearing a disdainful glower.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then she read it again, slower.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Maybe I’m the one on cactus juice...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">By the seventh time reading through the brief royal edict, she was as flummoxed as a flounder-frog in a frying pan.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That...that’s Zuko’s signature...and today’s date...and the Firelord’s seal...how did you...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I beat him in Pai Sho!” Sokka beamed, jumping to his feet and embracing his uneasy wife, “It took months to make it happen, but today I won back almost all the money we lost—<em>and this!</em>”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“All the money </span> <em> <span class="s2">you</span> </em> <span class="s1"> lost, babe,” Suki corrected sternly, starting to twist away from him, “And I don’t know how you coerced Zuko into making you Firelord...but I can’t let this go any further.”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Suki!” Sokka wailed, desperately lunging forward and snatching the scroll from her hand before she could toss it into the flames. “Why would you do that to your Firelord?!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If you need a piece of paper to be Firelord, you are no Firelord,” Suki scolded, starting to wonder if she needed to put Sokka in a nursery, too. “Now let’s go talk to Zuko and get this straightened out before you cause more damage than you already have.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">I can’t believe he actually pretended to be Zuko! How many petitioners did he mess with? This could turn into a very ugly scandal, very quickly...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait!” he called, catching her arm before she could descend the throne steps.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Come on, Sokka,” his wife grumbled, disappointed that he was still clinging to his juvenile antics. “You’re making things hard on me. It’s my job to keep Zuko safe, and—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, Suki—listen to me.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The veteran Kyoshi Warrior was then reminded just how much of a man Sokka had become—not merely in terms of brute strength, but coordination and agility.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With unexpected swiftness, he spun Suki around and back into his arms, holding her body flush against his—and for a girl who was used to slapping around her lover during their sparring sessions (although he’d become more of a challenge as of late), Sokka’s move was surprisingly titillating.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her breath taken away in the most pleasant sense, Suki secretly relished the firm grip around her waist and the pressure of Sokka’s chest against her own.</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I’ve been planning this day for forever,” he confessed, his eyes full of pleading, “Basically since Zuko’s coronation four years ago—and there’s a long list of things I want to do with you, but I promise </span> <span class="s2">nothing</span> <span class="s1">irresponsible. All I want is to spend some time with my wife...and I think you’ll like our schedule.”</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suki sighed, regretting her impatience—even if Sokka’s eccentricity was problematic at times, he always meant well.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">Besides, he’s nothing if not considerate...it was reckless of Zuko to make that wager, but how much harm can be done in one day?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s2">And it sounds like I’ll be along for the ride...is this just one big elaborate date?</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s not like I’m going to empty the Royal Treasury,” he continued, “Or declare National Sokka Day, or have a gigantic golden statue of myself built in the capital square, or—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Or institute prima nocta?” Suki smiled, easing the tension in her body as she threw her arms around his neck. Leaning into him, she successfully sent the message that he had won her over.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Actually...I <em>was</em> planning on doing that,” he grinned back, “You see, there’s this ambassador from the Water Tribe, and his wife...spirits, she’s something else...I’ve been eyeing her for years...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hmmmm...” Suki purred, their faces drifting closer and closer together, “I’d hate to be unfaithful to my husband...but seeing that you’re the Firelord and all...”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two collapsed in on each other, lips locked, tongues dueling, and hands roving—suddenly, the heavy robes and thick armor between them had become unbearably cumbersome. Showing no reservation, the Firelord’s touch boldly travelled south, drawing a moan from the ambassador’s wife as he gave her taut bum a squeeze.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Abruptly, Suki placed both hands on Sokka’s chest, gently pushing him back down onto the scarlet cushions of the Dragon Throne as she began to free herself from her armor.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How may I show my loyalty to the new Firelord before he blesses me with his virility?” cooed Suki, batting her eyelashes like a fawning maiden.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sokka let out a squeak of excitement as he wriggled out of his trousers and drawers, looking his wife up and down with a blatant hunger.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Today’s one of...you know...one of your safe days, right? As much as I want Kanna to have siblings, I think we should...uh...Suki? You don’t have to kneel...you know that, right? I may be Firelord, but the groveling really isn’t neces—oh...oh...ohhhhhhhhhhhh...”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I apologize for the ambiguity in the description and tags, but I didn’t want to give away the ‘Firelord Sokka’ reveal. (Sorta made it sound like Zuko won a night with Suki after beating Sokka in a Pai Sho game...lol like Suki would ever allow that to happen.)</p><p>I have some of a second chapter written that details the rest of their day together, but it’s not super compelling so I’m going to push it off for now. </p><p>In case you aren’t familiar with the concept of ‘prima nocta’ (I learned from the movie Braveheart, not history class), it was the right of medieval nobles to have intercourse with their subjects’ wives, particularly on their wedding night. Actually a pretty horrific idea (even though there’s no evidence prima nocta was invoked historically, so it’s really just theoretical), but I thought it’d be in-character for Firelord Sokka to use it on his wife (which totally defeats the purpose lol).</p></blockquote></div></div>
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